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ve·to (vētō)
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n. pl. ve·toes
1.
a. The constitutional power of the chief executive of a state or nation to prevent or delay the enactment of legislation passed by the legislature: The president has the veto and will use it.
b. An instance in which this right is exercised: the governor's veto of the bill.
c. An official document or message from a chief executive stating the reasons for rejection of a bill.
2. The power of one party or entity to forbid the actions or decisions of another party or entity: The producer has a veto over which songs get put on the album.
3. A prohibition or rejection of a proposed or intended act: Her plans to go away for the weekend were met with a parental veto.
tr.v. ve·toed, ve·to·ing, ve·toes
1. To prevent or delay (a legislative bill) from becoming law by exercising the power of veto.
2. To forbid, prohibit, or decide against: "She considered having another [drink] but vetoed the idea as unwise" (Stewart O'Nan).

[From Latin vetō, first person sing. present tense of vetāre, to forbid.]

veto·er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.